**Toronto Fanviews Here**

Thanks Toronto for being a great host! Drove in from Chicago to go to the show... one of the best I've seen.... best in the Americas that is. Saw them basically front row in the Sporthalle in Hamburg, that's hard to beat. Anywho, the show rocked. anyone catch any of what Bono was singing during RITFW? I recall him screaming 'rock rock rock rock!' and I think he gave props to PJ being a band that rocked...

other highlights... blood. wow, first time I've seen that one live. wow.

hmm.. also leaving here. how kick ass was that?

some issues with Eddie... guitar, harmonica, guitar, lyrics... but it all added to the fun of the show.

hmm... also... rockin in the free world.. by far... by FAR best I've seen. I swear that when a crouching Bono entered stage left behind Mike, my ears were going to explode... I couldn't believe it, but there he was doing some sort of dance up to the mic banging on the symbols... I think Bono free styled some of the lyrics too. The Edge was back there too, but he didn't get up and come on stage. I had a hunch bono would be on stage, but to see it come true was awesome...

setlist... cool. good variety. lots of 10 material. loved it!

Space Needle and CN tower erection comment... classic!

Mike jamming crazy and all over the place... throwing himself from front stage to back stage, spinning all over, jumping and running around ... he was great. 10th row seats... not bad either! thanks PJ!

Marcust99 wrote:

I can't believe these people that are whining about the show last night
being "generic" Gimme a fuckin break. It's not WHAT they play but HOW
they play it. The fact that Bono came out automatically elevates the show
about "generic". Pullease.

Marcust,just noticed your signature under your name saying 10/01/96 Best Pj show In toronto......they were in Buffalo that night.

PJ Sparks wrote:

dawk20 wrote:

The intro was a Sort of Homecoming. U2 song from unforgettable fire.

There was U2 references all night.

Thanks to U2 for opening for us


I knew somebody would catch that. Thanks for the help.

PJ Sparks
ps. did anyone waiting by the buses ever get the band coming by? I waited til about 1-1:15. Just curious to those who stuck it out longer.

As far as i know from the 4 shows i saw last week,the band boards the bus as soon as the show is done to avoid all the crowds,i was told this by security after each show.

chemi wrote:

I think that cuz:

A- he wasnt drinking as much

B- U2 fuckers where there and he probably seemed intimidated, that he had to be professional

I said the exact same thing after the show...i think Bono being there kinda kept Eddie too tame,heck he didnt even finish the bottle of wine as per usual

Ladymelonhead wrote:

That's kinda scary.

Chris

As i said... they are one of the BEST live acts out there.... their worst is most other bands' best. So dont piss on the heads of those that bust their butts.... thats all im saying. Toronto was an awesome show- i think some losers are just looking for things to complain about... or maybe they dont know how to have a good time.

Im sure the other canadian dates have been great, and toronto was no different... for those that have had the time and cash to go and see six shows- thats fucking cool...
i just know that if i was priveleged enough to see them six times (or whatever) i wouldnt come out of it bitching- i would just be dammn fucking happy that i got to see a great band that many times. so stop the fucking whining.
[/quote]



i would never usually post something like that

i LOVE these guys

the show was amazing - it really was

i just want them to have the good time that we are having and there was a tension there which was a shame

but don't get me wrong - ANY pearl jam show rocks! - they give their all musically at every single show

share wrote:

my take

all the other shows were a club gig - toronto got a rock show

i don't go to rock shows, i don't even go to large venues unless I'm comped the tickets or win them but I will ALWAYS do it for Pearl Jam because of the great dynamic of the band (the one that got left behind)

and I've never ever been distracted by side stage before - it wasn't the edge and bono - it was just so busy

I don't talk much during a show - I'm there to listen and I always find it a sign of respect to do so and it was just weird for me to see the people at the side of the stage in full animated conversation

It's absolutely none of my business but it was always there in the peripheral

The music was great, perfect, spot on as always - but I could have heard the music at home - I wanted to feel the thrill and the energy and the feedback
of emotion from the stage

this is why I go - and it's why they are the greatest band on the planet to see live

I guess I had been spoiled at the other shows - the guys were having such a damn good time that it was contagious and that was not the case in Toronto

so everybody getting on people's cases about "complaining about the set lists" or seeing too many shows in a row - this had nothing to do with it

there was a hole in the show - the hole was the love that ed usually shares with the crowd

he did his job - he got up and sang and it was beautiful

Thank you, I totally agree. I kinda felt bad after the show because I was dissapointed and I've never felt that at a PJ show before, but that show was bad compared to the other shows I went too. I am very spoiled to say that and how cool that a show in Toronto with Bono there was my "worst" pj show? I can't blame the guys for partying all night, but it really showed. I don't mind hearing the "hits", but it seemed they were playing them just to get through them. I don't know if Ed felt nervous with Bono being there or what, but I don't see any comparison between the bands at all, they should have just done their thing. Bono coming out just didn't do it for me. It was a very long ride to Quebec, but thank goodness the band was back to rocking out there.

Ladymelonhead wrote:

I personally think that the "hole" in PJ's set that people seem to feel is because of the venue- and not the band. I think it is an alienating venue-regardless of where you are sitting.
I have seen REM, Incubus, and bon jovi (dont laugh) there- and in comparison to the molson amphitheatre, the ACC is crapola. I really think that if PJ gave that very same show at the amphitheatre, nobody would have been disappointed....

thoughts?

Not sure I agree on that one, I saw PJ there in 2000 and it was a great show...I was front row though so I'm biased

The Bell Centre is about the same size I think? that was a great show...I just think the band was a bit "off"...still a rocking show though.

MurphyJesus wrote:

Not sure I agree on that one, I saw PJ there in 2000 and it was a great show...I was front row though so I'm biased

The Bell Centre is about the same size I think? that was a great show...I just think the band was a bit "off"...still a rocking show though.

The ACC was not the problem. I saw the band in 2000 as well and that show was amazing. GM Place and the Bell centre are both roughly the same size of the ACC and I think Ottawa's Corel Centre isn't much smaller. Also, if you skip back to 98 (or 92) when the band played Molson Park to a much bigger audience the shows were still really good.
My biggest problem with Monday's show was it felt too much like a nostalgia show aimed at Creed and Nickelback fans who stopped buying Pearl Jam albums after Vitalogy. Why should they be catered too? I'm not asking for rare stuff - what about Binaural? Amazing, amazing album!
There were far too many songs Monday night from the early nineties. I'm one of the fans who think this band just gets better and better. This is why a song like "save you" kicks so much ass. Probably the best song of the night along with "half full." But Monday night's show felt like the band was admitting to 20,000 people that they peaked around '96 - something I know just isn't true.

vic in T.O. wrote:

I said the exact same thing after the show...i think Bono being there kinda kept Eddie too tame,heck he didnt even finish the bottle of wine as per usual

I agree that probably had something to do with the set-list full of standards in Toronto. PJ did not want to fuck up with U2 there.

There were a few non-radio-song highlights like Ed's solo acoustic Porch and Present Tense, but for the most part it was pretty tame. I would have regretted making a second 6 hour trip to Canada for this one extra show (went to Kitchener, London, & Hamilton last week and all 3 shows were great) if it weren't for the great time I had in Toronto the next 2 days.

that was beautiful - everybody holding up their lighters